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Resolution Concert

Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh
4 stars
In the unlikely event of KT Tunstall’s musical career ever going belly
up, she could easily make the grade as a presenter on a par with her
Fife compatriot Edith Bowman. Or that’s the impression Ms Tunstall gave
fronting this New Year’s Day initiative which she curated all her
support acts before playing a full set herself. As one might expect
given Tunstall’s roots, it’s largely a Fence Collective heavy affair.

Silver Columns, aka Pictish Trail and Adem, kick things off with a
short set of gay disco electronica that’s quite odd to hear at teatime
rather than at midnight in a club, but which warms things up nicely
anyway. Glasgow sextet Kassidy are hirsute enough to look like the
1970s classic rock band their sound already resembles while looking
like they’ve stepped out of a spaghetti western, while Tunstall joins
her mentor King Creosote, aka Kenny Anderson, on backing vocals for one
song before Anderson launches into the manic euphoria of The Happy
Song.

All of the above is rattled through in just over an hour, after which
Tunstall returns sporting a fetching pair of sparkly pantomime pants
and a mouth-loads of banter. The next hour’s worth of songs is
delivered with such infectious pep that it’s hard to dislike Tunstall
or her band featuring former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherly. There
may be missed cues, a bash on the head from a microphone and an
unlikely cover of Erasure’s A Little Respect that takes three attempts
to get going, but Tunstall is charm itself. Finally, Suddenly I See
gets the Princes Street crowd bouncing in what must surely be the most
upbeat start to the year ever.

The Herald, January 3rd 2011

ends
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